Roulette Betting Systems Explained

Online Roulette is one of those games that virtually everyone can understand in just a few seconds. It is, after all, a very straightforward game that has been laid out for maximum convenience. There is a spinning wheel with pockets, a betting table that represents those pockets, and a white ball that declares the winning number. It couldn’t get much easier. Place a bet, watch the white ball, and see if you are going home with heavy pockets, celebrating all the way.

There is, however, a very big difference between just playing roulette with nothing but luck on your side, and having a substantial betting system. And yes, having a betting system will almost always mean you are going home with more cash in your pockets, as opposed to less. Betting systems are essential for the roulette player who takes the game seriously, and intends on making the most of the game.

Roulette Betting In Detail

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In order to play online roulette more seriously, and make a bit more cash per spin, let’s first all make sure we’re on the same page. The roulette wheel is divided up into red and black, as can clearly be seen, with numbers ranging between 1 and 36. There are two types of official roulette wheels, American and European, but both only have 36 official numbers. The American wheel does have an extra 0 pocket, but we’ll get to that a bit later.

On the betting table there is a variety of betting options, some straightforward, and some perhaps a bit more confusing. The red or black bet is the most popular by far, and gives the player a slightly less than 50/50 chance of winning even money. Even money means that the player will get back their bet, plus that amount again, if winning. And why slightly less than 50/50? Don’t forget that the zero pocket is not red or black.

Other betting options include the first, second, and third 12 numbers on the wheel, 1 to 18 and 19 to 36, as well as even and odd, and the three columns of numbers. Once you know what each bet means, it’s pretty easy to understand how the wheel has been divided up for easy betting. But what difference does one bet make over any other bet? The trick with roulette is to understand that it is not about placing a bet on just one option, but on multiple options.

Bet Spreading

Betting on one lucky number is good fun, and pays out a huge amount if you manage to get lucky, but it’s also a long shot. Rather consider betting on a lucky number, but also putting a bet on two other betting choices For example; put a bet on 1 to 18 or 10 to 36, and on the first, second, or third 12. In this fashion, if your lucky number bet fails, one of your other two bets is still likely to succeed, which means that you are not losing money.

Experiment with betting spreads for yourself to see what works best, or look up an official betting guide online that gives specific instructions. You’ll soon learn that spreading bets is the smartest way to play roulette. Also, keep in mind that many online casinos offer roulette for free, which will allow you to experiment with betting strategies before committing any real money. This is highly recommended.

Negative Progression Betting

Lets have a look at a betting system referred to as the Martingale System, which is one of the most simple roulette betting guides, but also very significant for what it portrays. It works like this;

• Place an amount on red or black
• If the bet fails, double the bet, else take the winnings and return to your original bet
• If it fails again, double the whole bet a second time, else take the winnings and return to your original bet
• Keep doing so until the bet fails five times in a row, at which point, call it quits. It seems like a very obvious and simple way to bet at roulette, but demonstrates a very important betting strategy referred to as negative progression. This simply means that the bettor doubles the bet if losing in order to cover initial losses. Such a system is important to understand when playing roulette, because roulette is a game that works best with a slow set of wins over a period of time. That is to say; roulette is not the type of game you are likely to win massive amounts very quickly at. The player must be patient.

Keep in mind that the Martingale system is interesting to pay attention to and learn from, but is not infallible. If the player fails the red or black bet five times in a row they will eventually start losing cash. It is best to learn the system and apply it to your own betting strategy, which will quickly help you become a much better player at the game, far more so than those that bet blindly, cross their fingers, and hope for the best.